Histories of Queensland: A Bibliographic Survey

Abstract

This paper examines histories of Queensland, asking why they were written, what is their general thrust, and what has been their impact. Twenty-eight histories have been identified, with two appearing since 2007 and another due in 2010. For inclusion in this survey, a 'history of Queensland' must logically: 1. take an overview of Queensland's history bringing that story more or less up to the time of writing; 2. cover a range of social, political, cultural and economic elements, and show how conditions, at time of writing, had evolved; 3. have some narrative rather than simply dates, incidents, statistics, anecdotes and biographies; 4. use some original material and/or analysis rather than merely reiterate/precise earlier histories; 5. be primarily about Queensland rather than about Australia, albeit including Queensland.